Paths Taken
by Sophie W. Andrews
Summary: Though she didn't notice before, by taking the quest with Percy, she took a path different from her original one. Why? She doesn't know. Maybe because she felt compelled to. She misses Luke so, so much. She misses her training sessions with him, she misses his presence. But she wouldn't have it another way, because this was how it was meant to be.


**I honestly don't know what drove me to write this. Whatever it was, it certainly bothered me rather constantly, like I'd drown if I didn't write it. I think that as a writer, the character from ****_Percy Jackson and the Olympians _****named Annabeth Chase influenced most of my writing as an author and soon to be novelist. This story was written for the fanfiction series of Percy Jackson. So this is one half of an important tribute of mine to the great series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, even though the other half is going to be written for the Heroes of Olympus series, meaning that there is another one shot coming or I'll make this into a two shot.**

**Disclaimer: I Don't Own PJO**

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She should have known.

He was always that guy you could count on to do anything. He was the one who cared. He was the one who understood; the boy whose electric blue eyes always glittered when talking about combat, the nicest and most mature male Annabeth had ever met. He was Luke Castellan, the boy she was absolutely certain that she was falling for. Annabeth was almost completely sure that he had every girl at his knees, too.

But he became distant with her, creating a hole in her heart that nobody could repair.

During that time, she blocked people out and trained until every bone in her body ached. She even studied the combat techniques of the Romans, because the Greek combat techniques reminded her of Luke and how he constantly lectured her about using a different stance because hers was too offensive. He wanted her to learn to defend instead of fight, just so she wouldn't get hurt. But what he didn't understand was that by distancing himself from her, he was harming her more than gorgon's blood could.

Annabeth never thought she'd ever be so hurt by a human again. Not after Thalia turned into a tree. But of course, it had to be Luke and not someone she barely knew. Of course it had to be her absolute best friend, the boy who saved her and taught her to fight. He was the boy who helped her find out who she was. And yet, he was the one who tore that all apart.

And then this other boy comes along. He has jet black hair and mysterious green eyes. _Percy Jackson_, she remembers. Her heart had suffered so much that she doesn't let him in. In fact, she's built up huge walls to keep him from entering, because she knows just by looking at him that he's too loyal and too nice. People like that tended to disappear from her life and tear her apart, piece by piece.

But inevitably, she starts to fall for him too, and she thinks of Luke less and less.

Somehow, she ends up on a quest with the Seaweed Brain. Those walls slowly disappear, and she finds herself debating between Percy and Luke.

Luke turns out to be just another one of Kronos's followers, and that breaks her heart completely, because that's just so not _Luke_ and he was such a loyal person and...

And...

_Oh._

Of _course._

Ever since Luke lost Thalia, he'd been a little bit different, always blaming the gods. He hated Zeus most of all, thinking that if he could turn her into a pine tree, why couldn't he simply revive her?

But never did she think that Luke was so bitter that he'd turn on Olympus. He was so much better than that. He was so intelligent and insightful, always there for her and always so understanding.

But he turned on Olympus, Chiron, camp, everyone who ever loved him, and Thalia.

And, she thought, he also turned on _her._

That's why, four years later, she was fine with changing courses and fighting alongside Percy, against and not _with_ Luke.

**~o~**

At first it sends a pang to her chest, giving up on Luke so easily. He wanted to run away with her, but she didn't. She couldn't leave Percy behind during the hardest year of his life. She wouldn't abandon him like that. Not after he'd always been there for her.

The entire time she was with the sea spawn, she felt tingles in her hands and knots in her stomach. He was just so different from Luke. Percy was carefree, chill and natural like the ocean. She loved how oblivious he was with her obvious feelings for him.

**~o~**

Kronos is killed, and Luke dies along with him, preventing a war.

And it's like a cloud of weight had been lifted off her shoulders. As sad as it was, his death made her relieved. It was just too much to bear.

She kisses Percy for the first time, and then they kiss underwater. The whole entire time, she feels like she's floating and everything seems so surreal. When it's over, she's grinning from ear to ear, somewhat like a madman. Percy's no better, though, and that makes her fine with it.

She no longer has feelings for Luke. But he was a part of her life, one of the people - maybe one of the most important people - who made her who she is today; and for that, she is grateful. There will always be that hole in her heart because of Luke that nobody can fill, but she is slowly being mended. That pang that she used to feel when thinking about him is gone, instead replaced by an empty feeling of melancholy.

Sometimes she wishes that she could just go back and do it all over again, but this time change what he thought.

But he chose his path, and she respects that. She will always respect Luke, because he means too much to her to let go of him.

Though she didn't notice before, by taking the quest with Percy, she took a path different from her original one. Why? She doesn't know. Maybe because she felt compelled to. She misses Luke so, so much. She misses her training sessions with him, she misses his presence.

But she wouldn't have it another way, because this was how it was meant to be. She also admits that it's nice, being a heroine of Olympus. And she knows Luke wouldn't want her to regret her choices.

**~o~**

Plus, Percy is a really good kisser.

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**I added a small line of humor at the end for good measure. I think that this is meant to tell people that sometimes (many times) we find ourselves in heartbreaking positions that really hurt people. In any case, we have to look ahead and try to keep going because there's always going to be something to live for. Problems should be thought of as a tool to greatness, not a weapon that causes pain.**


End file.
